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Mother grateful for latest break in Natzke case

Doris Smith, mother of Dawna Natzke, the Hot Springs Village Police dispatcher killed in December 2011, reads about suspect Kevin Duck, who was taken into custody last week in Colorado. (Jeff Meek photo)

By JEFF MEEK

Senior reporter

“I feel like I’ve been born again,” said Doris Smith, mother of slain Hot Springs Village Police dispatcher Dawna Natzke, upon getting the news murder suspect Kevin Duck had been taken into custody Nov. 26 in Colorado.

“I’m like a kid up on Christmas morning. I’m so happy, I want to be with people again,” she added.

Smith gives high marks to Garland County prosecutor Steve Oliver for his work.

“He keeps me informed and I can call him at any time,” she said. “He makes you feel good.”

As the interview progressed, Smith talked about her departed daughter and those early days of the investigation.

“She was a good person, good mother to those boys. She was a victim,” said Smith.

“That night at the (Dec. 21) party, we were sitting at the dinner table and I noticed her eyes were red and she kept patting my hand. She was always fun, but that night the fun was gone. She was solemn.”

“I think she [had been] trying to get him [Duck] out of her [Rota Lane] house. That may have been the core of the argument that night,” Smith continued.

Smith’s biggest concern moving forward is the current bail amount, which is set at $250,000.

“If he makes bail he’s gone,” she said. “We won’t see him again. I want to stress that the bail is too low.”

Smith awaits further updates, but is also aware the trial could be one to two years away.